Desolate Devouring Art

Tension seized Fourfold City in an instant. One after another, the Wen Clan experts stationed outside the city abandoned their posts and returned in response to an urgent recall.

No one knew what calamity had befallen the Wen Clan. The uncertainty emptied the streets, and many shops shut their doors before darkness even fell, smothering the city beneath the ominous calm before a storm.

At midnight, Liu Wuxie and the elders returned safely to the City Lord Mansion. The elders immediately went to report everything that had happened, while Liu Wuxie withdrew to his courtyard to rest.

"Wuxie, where have you been these past two days?" Ye Linghan asked when she saw him return.

His disappearance had left her anxious for the entire two days.

"It was nothing. I need to enter seclusion for a while, and I want you to stand guard for me," Liu Wuxie said.

Even within the City Lord Mansion, Ye Linghan was the only person he trusted completely. Not even Ye Guhai got that same level of trust.

Liu Wuxie intended to use the Sumeru Stone to reach the fifth-level True Immortal Realm. The higher his cultivation rose, the better his chances would be against the Wen Clan.

When killing Wen Qiong, he had exposed a trace of an Immortal Emperor's aura. Endless pursuit would undoubtedly follow him in the days ahead, and only strength could carry him through the coming storms.

"All right!" Ye Linghan replied with a nod.

She moved into Liu Wuxie's courtyard and chose a room beside his.

Liu Wuxie sat cross-legged on the bed and activated the Desolate Devouring Art, dragging all the surrounding immortal energy toward him.

......

Meanwhile, Ye Guhai listened as the elders recounted the mission. When he learned that the group had successfully killed the Wen Clan experts, shock flickered in his eyes.

Ye Guhai had never possessed much confidence in the operation. Intercepting the Wen Clan's envoy had been a gamble, yet somehow, he had won. Without Liu Wuxie, the Sumeru Stone would have reached the Wen Clan.

"What a waste that the Sumeru Stone no longer exists. If we had obtained it, we could have forged a Golden Immortal Realm artifact as well," Yuan Jiang said with regret.

The others remained quiet, though equal disappointment showed in their expressions.

"What are all of you thinking? Killing Wen Ding under those circumstances was already a heaven-defying accomplishment, yet you're still thinking about treasure?" Elder Wu demanded, glaring at them.

The Wen Clan had nearly killed every one of them. Only Liu Wuxie's scheme had allowed them to successfully eliminate those experts.

"City Lord, what should we do next? Do you think the Wen Clan will suspect us?" Wang Xing asked.

The Wen Clan had suffered catastrophic losses, and Wen Changxing would undoubtedly erupt in fury. After all, within a radius of a thousand miles, the City Lord Mansion was the only force capable of threatening the Wen Clan.

Although Liu Wuxie and the others had concealed their identities with disguises, they couldn't avoid leaving traces behind. Every martial technique carried distinctive characteristics. Wu Sheng had unleashed the Sky-Piercing Eagle Strike, and no amount of effort could erase the marks it left behind.

"For now, we'll wait and see how the situation develops," Ye Guhai said after contemplating the matter briefly.

The Wen Clan was still investigating. Even if they discovered the City Lord Mansion's involvement, they wouldn't launch an all-out assault. Their devastating losses had already dragged their overall strength below that of the City Lord Mansion.

"City Lord, why don't we strike first and seize the advantage?" Elder Wu asked.

This was the perfect moment to launch a surprise attack and catch the Wen Clan completely off guard.

"A direct assault would devastate both sides. The time hasn't come yet. We should continue weakening them first," Ye Guhai replied with a mysterious smile.

Whenever he recalled his conversation with Liu Wuxie, he couldn't suppress that smile.

After discussing the situation further, Elder Wu and the others retired to rest. Ye Guhai ultimately refused to authorize an attack against the Wen Clan.

The immortal energy gathered above Liu Wuxie's courtyard without pause until daybreak. An arc-shaped funnel formed overhead as the energy condensed into liquid and poured into his body.

Ye Linghan had long since grown accustomed to witnessing such phenomena. She remained outside in silence, faithfully guarding Liu Wuxie.

Ye Guhai visited once during this period, intending to discuss something with Liu Wuxie, but Ye Linghan stopped him outside.

The fist-sized Sumeru Stone hovered above the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron while demonic flames slowly stripped away its layers, one after another. As a rare meteorite, the Sumeru Stone made an exceptional material for forging artifacts.

"A Sumeru Stone this small isn't enough to forge a Golden Immortal Realm artifact," Liu Wuxie murmured.

The Wen Clan had expended considerable effort to acquire this Sumeru Stone. Forging a Golden Immortal Realm artifact would require a Sumeru Stone the size of a water vat. Although the Wen Clan knew that the material could forge a Golden Immortal Realm artifact, their understanding of it remained shallow.

At dawn, the Wen Clan dispatched experts to investigate the route. They reached the hillside around midday, only to discover that the entire slope had vanished, leaving the battlefield scarred by the previous day's destruction.

The experts examined every detail with great care until they finally uncovered clues within one of the craters.

"Wu Sheng's Sky-Piercing Eagle Strike caused this!" a high-level Origin Immortal declared after touching a scorched stone and immediately recognizing the technique.

"Ye Guhai, how dare you ambush our Wen Clan along the road!" a Wen Clan expert roared.

The other experts' eyes turned bloodshot, particularly the elders who knew about the Sumeru Stone.

"Something is wrong. Elder Wen Ding was a ninth-level Origin Immortal. Unless Ye Guhai personally intervened, no one could have killed him. Wu Sheng alone was no match for Elder Wen Ding," the eighth-level Origin Immortal who had spoken earlier said.

Their intelligence confirmed that Ye Guhai hadn't left the City Lord Mansion during the past two days. If he hadn't acted, then who had killed Wen Ding?

No one could find a logical explanation. Judging from the residual auras scattered across the battlefield, Wen Ding had possessed the highest cultivation among everyone present.

"Let's go back," the Wen Clan experts declared.

They immediately headed back to Fourfold City to report everything they had discovered to Wen Changxing.

Wen Ding's death thus remained shrouded in mystery. Liu Wuxie's opportunity to break through finally arrived that afternoon.

After absorbing an enormous volume of energy from the Sumeru Stone, Liu Wuxie's desolate world reached saturation. His confrontation with someone at the pinnacle of the Origin Immortal Realm had also driven tremendous growth within him.

At the fourth-level True Immortal Realm, Liu Wuxie could already withstand attacks from Origin Immortals, an achievement that defied the heavens. Immortal energy now surged through his body like flowing water.

Every flower, blade of grass, and tree throughout the courtyard burst into bloom under the influence of the liquid immortal energy.

Strangely, the Sumeru Stone hovered inside the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron without dissolving completely. Liu Wuxie had only absorbed seventy percent of its energy, but that was barely enough to help him reach the fifth-level True Immortal Realm.

Then, why hadn't Liu Wuxie absorbed it completely?

The Sumeru Stone returned to his hand as he formed a succession of seals. He drew out a portion of the energy from the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron and wrapped it around the stone, restoring it to its original appearance.

This technique was another ability of the Divine Tribulation Pupil. By manipulating mental energy, Liu Wuxie could restore an object's outward appearance.

Of course, the Sumeru Stone only appeared untouched from the outside. In reality, most of the energy it once contained had already flowed into the desolate world.

"Perfect! Now I can deceive the Wen Clan again!" Liu Wuxie said, a wicked smile curling up his lips as he examined the restored Sumeru Stone.

Killing seven Wen Clan experts could never satisfy Liu Wuxie. He wouldn't stop until he destroyed their entire clan.

After placing the Sumeru Stone inside his interspatial ring, Liu Wuxie closed his eyes and accelerated his breakthrough to the fifth-level True Immortal Realm.

......

Meanwhile, silence engulfed the entire Wen Clan. They had already confirmed that the City Lord Mansion was responsible for ambushing Wen Ding and the others. What they couldn't decide was whether to attack the City Lord Mansion and avenge their elders or stay put and swallow their fury.

Every gaze turned toward the patriarch as they awaited his command.

"Patriarch, give us the order!"

The Wen Clan had summoned every available expert, packing the main hall to capacity. Upon learning that Elder Wen Ding and the others had died at the hands of the City Lord Mansion, rage boiled through every one of them.

Ever since Liu Wuxie had arrived in Fourfold City, the Wen Clan had suffered one setback after another. That pattern had led Wen Changxing to suspect a connection between Liu Wuxie and the elders' deaths.

The Wen Clan had long since investigated everything Liu Wuxie had accomplished in the Azure Flame Dao Hall. The deaths of Wen Yi, Wen Qi, and the others had already warned Wen Changxing that Liu Wuxie was far more dangerous than he appeared.

Despite enduring suppression from so many mentors, Liu Wuxie had continued to flourish. Not only did he emerge unharmed, but he even turned their resources into fuel for advancing his cultivation.

In just two months, Liu Wuxie had ascended from the Heavenly Immortal Realm to the True Immortal Realm. The sheer speed of that advancement made cold sweat break across Wen Changxing's body.

True Immortals were common throughout Fourfold City, but Liu Wuxie was undoubtedly the first person to advance from the Heavenly Immortal Realm to the True Immortal Realm in only two short months.

Xiang Rulong and the others were already considered monstrous prodigies, yet even they had taken several years to reach the same cultivation level Liu Wuxie had achieved in just two months.

"He's been hiding inside the City Lord Mansion this entire time," an elder reported.

According to the reports from the Wen Clan's spies, Liu Wuxie had never once left the City Lord Mansion.

"You're telling me Wu Sheng and the others were inside the City Lord Mansion? Then how did they appear along that road?" Wen Changxing demanded.

His mood had remained foul for the past few days, and the slightest provocation sent his temper flaring.

The elder responsible for gathering intelligence bowed his head. He knew his failure had allowed the City Lord Mansion to catch the Wen Clan completely off guard.

"Patriarch, are we truly going to let the matter end here?" another elder asked.

The others hurriedly redirected the conversation. They needed Wen Changxing to give them a clear course of action.

"Mobilize every force at our disposal and capture Liu Wuxie alive!" Wen Changxing ordered after drawing a deep breath and forcing down his anger.

As long as they captured Liu Wuxie, they could force him to reveal the truth behind the mystery.

None of the elders dared object. They departed one after another until silence fell over the hall, leaving Wen Changxing alone amid the murderous intent filling the chamber.

After the Desolate Devouring Art completed hundreds of circulations, the gateway to the fifth-level True Immortal Realm finally revealed itself. The scheme that had killed the Wen Clan experts had earned him more than the Sumeru Stone; he had also obtained a vast quantity of immortal stones and pills.

Unfortunately, he hadn't found a single fifth-grade pill among them. Otherwise, Liu Wuxie could have continued directly into the sixth-level True Immortal Realm. Even so, reaching the fifth-level True Immortal Realm already satisfied him, and he understood better than to become too greedy.

Five hundred thousand immortal stones detonated into pure liquid energy. The torrent transformed into a divine dragon and hurled itself against the gateway to the fifth-level True Immortal Realm.

A deafening rumble erupted as the gateway to the fifth-level True Immortal Realm thundered beneath the impact, shaking Liu Wuxie violently.

His progress toward unity with heaven and earth had slowed, and the growth of his mental energy had stalled with it. Both had reached a bottleneck.

"Again," he roared.

The Desolate World trembled as a mysterious axe imprint materialized and descended from the sky. The instant it fell, unbearable agony erupted throughout Liu Wuxie's body, as though the axe were about to tear its way out from within him.